Utah University students highlight role of youth in climate change battle
Go Hyo-jung from the University of Utah Asia Campus speaks during a group presentation by a panel of her peers at Global Green Growth Week 2019, held at the COEX InterContinental Hotel Seoul, Oct. 25. Courtesy of the University of Utah Asia Campus
By Ko Dong-hwan
American university students in Korea outlined the role of young people amid the climate change crisis during an international forum on the issue.
University of Utah Asia Campus students, who major in urban ecology, spoke about the significance of renewable energy and smart cities at the Global Green Growth Week 2019 (GGGW2019), held at the COEX InterContinental Hotel Seoul from Oct. 21-25
The students studied Songdo International City in Incheon and declared it a paragon in key innovations and in the transition to renewables. Their presentation, guided by Professor Reazul Ahsan, was under the event's thematic banner “Unlocking Renewable Energy Potential.”
Go Hyo-jung, one of the presenters, highlighted the role of young people in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“We have a noble obligation to pass down the clean natural environment such as clean air, water, and earth to the next generation,” Go said.
Hyun Eun-ji from the University of Utah Asia Campus, left, and GGGI's Director-General Frank Rijsberman with a sign outlining the United Nations Development Program's "Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation" during Global Green Growth Week 2019. Courtesy of the University of Utah Asia Campus
The conference was hosted by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Prof. Ahsan said it “provided an opportunity to not only learn a new field of research about renewable energy but also expand the network with global environmental experts for students.”
GGGI Director-General Frank Rijsberman urged the students to keep up “constant challenges and efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
GGGI, based in Songdo, co-hosted the conference with the Korea Renewable Energy Conference. Their partners included Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership.
GGGW 2019 was held within the bigger frame of the seventh Green Growth Knowledge Partnership Annual Conference (GGKP7) on “Achieving Global Energy Transformation.”
The conference explored the latest knowledge on the policy, finance, technological and social dimensions of achieving green energy transformation around the world. The important roles of cities and industries were also within the gathering's scope.
“For developing countries, in particular, the green energy transformation can play the role of a bridge to modernization, economic growth and greater social inclusiveness,” Ban Ki-moon, GGGI's Assembly President and Council Chairman and former UN Secretary-General, said in his recorded address opening the GGKP7 conference.